ICE raids World Cup concerns are growing as FIFA weighs whether Gianni Infantino should ask Donald Trump to pause enforcement, raising economic and human rights questions ahead of a global event.
Senior FIFA management have discussed with the organization’s president, Gianni Infantino, the possibility of him making a direct request to President Donald Trump for a full moratorium on ICE raids across the United States during the World Cup this summer.
Since returning to power for a second term in January 2025, Trump has sought to implement his campaign promise of mass deportation, which has featured concentrated incursions into American cities by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. This led to deadly clashes between ICE agents and protesters opposed to the clampdown, including the killings of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti when ICE agents swarmed Minnesota earlier this year.
Figures reported by the Washington Post, citing ICE’s own data, said officials arrested about 1,000 people per day in the six weeks after Pretti was killed on January 24, and 42 per cent of those had no criminal record.
The questions about ICE’s role in this World Cup have stalked FIFA ever since Trump regained power. ICE acting director, Todd Lyons, previously said the organization would play a “key part” in ensuring security during the World Cup. He said ICE’s primary role, as is common at sporting events, would center on Homeland Security investigations, but labor unions and members of the U.S. Congress has raised concerns the involvement of ICE may extend to immigration-enforcement raids close to World Cup events.
Some of FIFA’s member federations, particularly European nations, also privately relayed concerns to the global governing body from their fans about potential ICE activity during the tournament.
FIFA was alerted to human rights complaints by fans during the Club World Cup last summer, which included alleged sightings by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE officials at stadiums during the tournament. In a previous statement to The Athletic, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson denied that ICE and CBP conducted enforcement, describing it as “another case of fear-mongering.”
Infantino has struck up a seemingly close bond with Trump. He attended his pre-inauguration rally, wearing a red tie, and Trump’s inauguration, as well as making several appearances in the Oval Office, attending Trump’s Board of Peace meetings and this weekend he posted a photo on Instagram alongside Trump at a UFC event in Miami. Infantino has also opened a FIFA office in Trump Tower in New York City and awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December, shortly after Trump had been overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize.
This has led some senior executives within FIFA to believe Infantino may be able to use his friendship with Trump as leverage to secure key policy adjustments to ensure the World Cup runs smoothly. According to four people familiar with the conversations, all of whom remain anonymous to protect relationships, the FIFA executives raised with Infantino the possibility of a direct request to Trump to dial down the prevalence of ICE during the tournament.
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